Grand Canyon Permit System

Grand Canyon National Park issues backcountry permits through a lottery system. All commercial outfitters are subject to this lottery system the same as the public is.

We offer a 5% discount for registering 5 or more months in advance and early registration means you can pick any dates.

We are required to have at least one registered guest to apply for a permit.

We apply for permits 4 months in advance on the 1st of the month (see table below).

We have a good success rate with securing permits if you register before the dates as specified in the table below.

If unsuccessful your deposit is fully transferrable or refundable.

Groups of 5 or less have a higher success rate than large groups.

The more flexible you can be in your planning, the better our chances are of securing your permit.

DESIRED TRIP DATE (by month)

RESERVE BEFORE

January

September 1

February

October 1

March

November 1

April

December 1

May

January 1

June

February 1

July

March 1

August

April 1

September

May 1

October

June 1

November

July 1

December

August 1

Multi-Day Tours: Road & Mountain Biking

Multi-Day Road & Mountain Biking Tours

Beginner (1)

Guest will need only the ability to ride on mostly level roads/streets/pathways or on mountain bike trails with rolling hills and no technical obstacles. Elevation change is minimal and distances could range between 0 and 15 miles per day for road, or 0 to 8 miles per day for mountain. Guests have the ability to travel at their own speed and/or reroute/shorten a route as they see fit.

Beginner-Moderate (2)

Guest will need the ability to ride on well-maintained roads/streets/pathways or on mountain bike trails with easy-to-navigate obstacles. Elevation change is minimal to moderate and distances could range between 15 and 25 miles per day for road, or 8 to 10 miles per day for mountain. Guests have the ability to travel at their own speed and/or reroute/shorten a route as they see fit.

Moderate (3)

Guests will need the ability to ride on well-maintained roads/streets/pathways or on mountain bike trails with moderately challenging obstacles. Elevation change is moderate and noticeable on some climbs and distances could range between 25 and 50 miles per day for road, or 10 to 20 miles per day for mountain. Guests are generally travelling at a group pace but have the ability to rest on demand and/or reroute/shorten a route for most of the rides.

Moderate-Advanced (4)

Guests will need the ability to ride on well-maintained roads/streets or on mountain bike trails with moderate to advanced obstacles. Elevation change is aggressive either overall or on specific challenge climbs and distances could range between 40 and 75 miles per day for road, or 20 to 30 miles per day for mountain. Guests are travelling at a group pace and may sometimes have the ability to shorten a route.

Advanced (5)

Guests will need the ability to ride on well-maintained roads/streets or on mountain bike trails with advanced obstacles. Elevation change is aggressive either overall or on specific challenge climbs and distances are often over 75 miles per day for road, and 30 miles per day for mountain. Guests are travelling at a group pace and may sometimes have the ability to shorten a route.

Each AOA trip is rated for fitness, comfort, solitude, and participation. The descriptions above correspond to the numeric “fitness” ratings. You can find the rest of these ratings explained in the tour’s Nitty Gritty details section.

Multi-Day Tours: Hiking & Backpacking

Beginner (1)

Guests will need only the ability to walk on improved surfaces with little elevation change for up to 5 miles per day with the ability to travel at their own speed and/or reroute/shorten a hike as they see fit.

Beginner-Moderate (2)

Guest will need the ability to walk on established trails with some elevation change, over uneven natural surfaces for up to 8 miles per day with the ability to travel at their own speed and/or reroute/shorten a hike as they see fit.

Moderate (3)

Guests will need the ability to hike on established trails with noticeable elevation change over uneven natural surfaces for up to 10 miles per day. Some routes may not have a shorter or turn-around option and the group will move at a 2 to 3 mph pace with breaks.

Moderate-Advanced (4)

Guests will need the ability to hike on trails that may have physical obstacles or barriers with aggressive elevation change for up to 15 miles per day. In every case other than an emergency situation, hikes are one-way and are performed at a 2 to 3 mph pace with breaks.

Advanced (5)

Guests will need the ability to hike on and off less-maintained trails in places that likely have physical obstacles or barriers with aggressive elevation change for up to 15 miles or more per day, In every case other than an emergency situation, hikes are one-way, are performed at a 3+ mph pace with breaks, and have no rest day between hikes.

Each AOA trip is rated for fitness, comfort, solitude, and participation. The descriptions above correspond to the numeric “fitness” ratings. You can find the rest of these ratings explained in the tour’s Nitty Gritty details section.

AOA Day Tours

Difficulty Levels for Single Day Tours

All of AOA’s single-day tours have been designed to accommodate a range of ability levels.